The beneficial health effects of dietary fibers are well-known. In this context there has been a growing interest in food products made from grains, such as oats and barley.
In many respects, oats are different than other grains. They have higher protein and fat content than comparable cereals as well as a high .beta.-glucan content.
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in food products made from oats. The main reason for this is that oat fibers have been found to have a wholesome effect by lowering the serum cholesterol level of hypercholesteremic individuals. Another reason is that oats contain protein of high food value as well as a considerable proportion of mono and polyunsaturated fats. In addition, oats contain many essential amino acids and minerals.
A great advantage of oats is that the whole grain can be used for making various products once the hull has been removed. In oats, the most nutritious substances are distributed fairly evenly in the whole grain. In other grains, the nutritious substances are frequently concentrated in specific parts of the grain.
The nutritional aspects of oat components have prompted the introduction of oats or parts thereof into several different food products. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,063 (G. F. Inglett) discloses the preparation of water-soluble dietary fibre compositions by treating ground oat products with .alpha.-amylases. The .alpha.-amylase serves to thin the oat starch, and any .alpha.-amylase may thus be used. The produced pulverulent dietary fibre compositions are used as additives in food products, such as fat substitutes. However, these products not only lack desirable aromatics of natural oats, but are also deprived of agreeable natural oat flavorings.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,123 (to L. Lindahl et al) discloses a homogeneous and stable cereal suspension having the taste and aroma of natural oats. The disclosed cereal suspension is prepared by treating a suspension of oatmeal with .beta.-amylase, which has no glucanase and proteinase activity, in a first enzyme treatment step which specifically generates maltose and maltodextrin units. Then the suspension is treated with .alpha.-amylase, which also has no glucanase and proteinase activity, in a second enzyme treatment step which specifically generates maltose units. This oat suspension is a milky product which can be used as an alternative to milk, especially for lactose-intolerant people. It may also be used as the basis of or an additive in the manufacture of ice-cream, gruel, yogurt, milkshakes, health drinks and snacks. However, this process is time consuming because of the sequential treatments with different hydrolases, thereby increasing the cost of production. Moreover, sequential enzyme treatments eliminate any possible positive synergic effects that may occur when combining of enzymes. Furthermore, the overall viscosity and/or sugar content of the cereal suspension cannot be efficiently controlled or manipulated.
In view of these shortcomings, there is a need for enzyme preparations that hydrolyze cereal starch in a more cost-efficient and timely manner while producing a cereal suspension product that retains the flavoring and aromatic qualities of natural cereal and in which the viscosity, sugar content, and overall texture can be regulated or modified for a preferred end product.